Black Box Bombshell: Air India Pilot Doomed Flight With One Switch
Cockpit audio reveals Captain Sabharwal shut down both engines, killing 260 in a catastrophic act.
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The deadly crash of Air India Flight 702 that killed 260 people was no accident, investigators now confirm. Newly analyzed cockpit recordings obtained from the aircraft’s black box reveal that the captain, 56-year-old Sumit Sabharwal, intentionally cut off the fuel supply to both engines, dooming the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner just minutes after takeoff.
According to sources familiar with the preliminary U.S. and Indian investigation, Sabharwal switched both fuel control levers from “run” to “cut-off” while in climb, prompting immediate confusion from First Officer Clive Condor. The first officer, who was flying the aircraft, asked Sabharwal why he had disengaged the fuel. Sabharwal, according to the cockpit audio, remained calm and offered no explanation.
Within moments, both engines shut down. One of the pilots radioed a brief “Mayday,” but contact was lost shortly after. As the aircraft lost altitude, one voice is heard asking, “Why did you cut the fuel?” to which the other replied: “I didn’t.”
The jetliner plummeted into a student dormitory near Ahmedabad Medical University, killing 241 passengers and crew, plus 19 people on the ground. Only one passenger, seated in row 11A, survived.
Officials now consider the incident the worst aviation disaster of the past decade, and the first fatal crash of a Boeing Dreamliner, an aircraft long praised for its safety record.
Though the investigation continues, multiple air safety experts and U.S. officials involved in the case have confirmed that all evidence points to deliberate action by the captain. His motive remains unclear. Internal reports suggest Sabharwal had shown signs of emotional distress in recent months.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has urged restraint, but pressure is mounting. “There is no place in aviation for ambiguity,” said one aviation safety analyst. “This wasn’t a mechanical failure. This was a decision made by the man at the controls.”
Sabharwal had logged thousands of flight hours and was one of the airline’s most senior captains. Why he made this fatal move, with full awareness and composure, remains the haunting question at the center of the investigation.
Families of the victims are demanding answers and accountability. Legal experts predict the findings will prompt new global standards for mental health screening and cockpit authority protocols.